Fifty years ago, on July 16 1976, the very first North Sea Jazz Festival opened its doors with six venues, 300 musicians, and around 9000 visitors, and featuring luminaries including Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, and Stan Getz. Since then, the festival has become a cornerstone of international music culture, presenting around 1300 artists across 17 stages to an audience of up to 90,000 each year.
The first wave of artists confirmed for this summer includes jazz innovators such as Cassandra Wilson, Charles Lloyd Quartet, Esperanza Spalding, Joshua Redman with his Quartet, Nils Petter Molvær’s Khmer, Steve Coleman & Five Elements, Sun Ra Arkestra, Hiromi's Sonicwonder, and Pat Metheny.
Several large-scale and collaborative projects will also feature including Snarky Puppy performing their Somni project with the Metropole Orkest conducted by Jules Buckley, and Marcus Miller’s We Want Miles! The Reunion Tour 2026, featuring Mike Stern, Bill Evans, Mino Cinelu, Russell Gunn, Brett Williams and Anwar Marshall.
Artists returning to the festival include Amaro Freitas Trio, Bill Frisell Trio & Greg Tardy, Diana Krall and James Brandon Lewis Quartet while artists making their North Sea debut include Alex Isley, Asaf Avidan, Carrtoons, Sienna Spiro and Adrian Younge.
The 2026 edition will reflect the festival’s rich history while celebrating its ongoing influence across jazz, soul, R&B and contemporary music. Chart-topping and Grammy-winning stars such as Charlie Puth, The Roots, John Legend, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, The Isley Brothers, Jon Batiste, Questlove, Joy Crookes and Annie & The Caldwells are also lined up to perform.
Across three days, NN North Sea Jazz will present more than 150 performances, alongside workshops, interviews, artist signing sessions, showcases for emerging talent and a programme of visual art. Fifty years on, the festival remains a meeting point for the past, present and future of jazz and its many intersections.
NN North Sea Jazz Festival takes place July 10th – 12th 2026 at Rotterdam Ahoy. Tickets available from www.northseajazzfestival.com.
NN North Sea Jazz Festival 2026 Line-Up (more names to be announced in due course):
Friday 10 July
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